Emailing People on Craigslist: The Complete Guide

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Easily contact people on Craigslist via email

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Emailing a Craigslist Seller
|
• Sharing a Craigslist Post via Email
|
• Video
|
• Q&A
|
• Warnings

|Show more |Show less

Craigslist currently offers a two-way relay email feature that helps lower users’ exposure to spam and scams. In most cases, you can send emails to people on Craigslist by replying to their postings.

Contacting Someone on Craigslist

To reply to a Craigslist post, just click the reply button. To use your device's default email app, click the first link. Otherwise, select the web-based email you use (like Gmail or Yahoo). You can also copy and paste the email to manually input it into a message. To share a post by email, click the share button.

Steps

Section 1 of 2:

Emailing a Craigslist Seller

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1. 
   1
   Click on reply, located at the top-left corner of the Craigslist post. Once you click this option, click email. A floating menu with a list of email options will display on-screen.

   • If the pop-up menu doesn’t display, it’s possible a third-party browser extension or add-on is preventing the pop-up from displaying properly. If this occurs, disable any unfamiliar add-ons, close and reopen your browser, and try again.
   • In some cases, private browsing or incognito mode may prevent the pop-up menu from displaying. Disable private browsing temporarily if needed to reply to a posting on Craigslist.
2. 
   2
   Click on your preferred email contact method from the list of options provided. Here are the options:

   • Click the link below "reply using default mail app:" to reply using your default email client.
   • Click gmail, yahoo mail, hotmail/outlook/live mail, or aol mail to reply using one of these webmail services.
   • Click the copy button next to the email address to copy it so you can manually paste it into an email message, if you prefer.
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3. 
   3
   Wait for your email client to open. If you choose to reply using your default email client or webmail service, Craigslist will automatically paste the reply-to address into the "To" field.

   • If you chose to copy and paste the reply-to address into an alternate email program, open your email client and copy/paste the reply-to address into the "To" field.
4. 
   4
   Write the email. Type your message to the Craigslist user into the "Compose" field of your email client.
5. 
   5
   Click Send. Your email will then be sent to the Craigslist user whose posting you replied to.
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Section 2 of 2:

Sharing a Craigslist Post via Email

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1. 
   1
   Click the share button at the top of the post. This button has an icon of a square with an arrow pointing out of the top of it.
2. 
   2
   Choose your preferred email client. A pop-up window will appear with all the ways you can share a Craigslist post. Choose your preferred email client (such as Gmail or Outlook) from the list.

   • Alternatively, click the button with the chain icon to the right of the URL to copy the post's link. If you choose to just copy the link, you'll need to open the email client of your choice to send the link to someone else.
3. 
   3
   Enter the recipient's email in the "To" field. You can add multiple email addresses if you'd like to send the Craigslist link to more than one person.
4. 
   4
   Write the email. Type your message to the Craigslist user into the "Compose" field of your email client. If you chose to copy the link of the Craigslist post manually, paste it into the body of the email by pressing Ctrl+V on Windows or ⌘ Cmd+V on Mac.
5. 
   5
   Click Send. The email containing the Craigslist post will be shared with the email addresses you put in the "To" field.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How many emails can I send in a day?

  

  Community Answer

  If using the Gmail mail server, you can send approximately 100 to 150 emails per day.

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  Not Helpful 1 Helpful 10
• Question

  How can I attach pictures to the reply?

  

  Community Answer

  Click on Pin Files, and from Computer, you should be able to attach multiple files.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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• Question

  How can I add "cash only" to my Craigslist listing?

  

  D D'dario

  Community Answer

  When you compose your ad, describe item & add to description “CASH TERMS ONLY.”

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  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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Warnings

• When emailing people on Craigslist, keep in mind that most scam attempts are initiated via email, according to Craigslist. Beware of possible scams that may involve the wiring of funds, shipping fees for products being sold, transactions in which the other person wants to pay with a money order or cashier’s check, and requests for personal background checks.
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• When corresponding with other users on Craigslist, stick to using Craigslist’s two-way email relay system instead of providing your real email address, if possible. This can help reduce the occurrence of spam if, for some reason, the person you are contacting is not genuine, and can also help prevent identity theft.
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